Template Mode Explained

Template mode

When in template mode, you are essentially creating the layout or framework of a page.  Once you've completed the layout, you can then apply this "template" to other pages in your website.  One of the great advantages of using a template is that you are guaranteed consistency throughout all of your pages.  We would like to reiterate here, consistency is one of the most important aspects of the web site building process.  Your customers will appreciate this consistency as they will always know where the navigation is, where the shopping cart buttons are, and how the format of the page will be laid out.  These are the reasons behind template mode.

Within the template mode tab in Figure 1, you will be able to make changes to your template that can then be applied throughout the web site.  As an example of this; you may have chosen a template layout when you first signed up for the service, you would however like to remove one or two of the images that come with that original template, or you may want to add your logo etc.  Template mode will allow you to make those changes to the layout, which is then applied to all the pages and the web site.

Hint: all of the template pieces are locked in position when you begin the editing process.  You'll notice when you highlight over the content, that you are seeing a red highlight [which indicates it is in the locked position].  When making changes to the template, you will need to click on the unlock icon on the object toolbar [just above the element you have clicked on].

T1 - Template mode contains the following:

 

Figure 2

 

T2 - Template Settings

The Template settings tab (Figure 2) will allow you to do the following:

• Page name - This allows you to create a page name without the need for entering the extension .HTML.  The system will automatically insert dashes between the page name for you.  As an example, you would simply need to enter the page name customer service, and the system will automatically fill in the correct extensions customer-service.HTML.  Always try to have descriptive page names to attract search engines.

• Page title - The page title will be crucial for search engines [especially google], try to make sure that you have a very descriptive title, as google often uses this information when ranking the pages.  As an example, if you were selling shoes, you would not want to say in the title " selling shoes".  A good example would be,  We offer Adidas, Puma and Nike women's athletic running shoes.  You will notice the focus on the search engine keywords within the title. Try following that pattern for optimal SEO Placement.

• Search keywords - Within the keyword section, make sure that you are entering in the keywords as follows [continuing with the Shoes example above]:  Adidas women's sneakers, Nike women's sneakers , Puma women's sneakers.  Always seperate keywords with commas.  Try not to do more than 10 key words per page, and be sure that within the content of the page you have these keywords as well.

• Search description - The description will be very similar to the page title.  You might want to consider taking the title that you've created and rearranging it by adding different phrasing.

• Use template - Assigning a template to the page that you're creating will ensure that all of your pages that are built will be consistent throughout.  This is an extremely important aspect of building a web site.  It's important that your customers understand that the navigation will always be where it is expected.  In addition, the page layout will always be consistently using the same fonts, colors, heading etc. Within this section, any templates that are created, will be listed within this drop down list, allowing you to assign any template to any page.  This means that you can have an infinite amount of templates throughout your website.

 

Figure 3

• Advanced settings (Figure 3) - Within the advanced settings, we have separated these options to ensure that when making changes here, that it is a definitive action.  Please use with caution.

• Use as a template - Use as a template allows you to create a page and make it into a template that can then be assigned as the layout AROUND the content of other pages, this is the true definition of a TEMPLATE. This means that if you select this option, the page you are creating will no longer be just a standard page, but will then become a template for other pages on your site.

• Page is visible to the public - By selecting this option, you are allowing the general public to be able to view the content of the page.  If you would like to keep the page private or password protected, we suggest making sure that this is unchecked.

• Use for 404 not found - This setting will allow you to set the page that you are now creating, to be the default page. When someone goes to a nonexistent link on your website, instead of showing an error page, they would come to your new 404 page instead.

• Use for your home page - When selecting this option, you must be very careful to ensure that the page you are now creating will now replace your current home page altogether.  This system will automatically make your new created page the default page for your entire web site and rename the previous home page for later use.  Please be sure that this option is chosen only if you intend on replacing your homepage altogether.

• Linked files used - This is a very advanced option for the most seasoned of webmasters.  The system will allow you to create your own CSS to be uploaded to the system and assigned to any page or template.  Needless to say, beginners should avoid this section like the plague!

T3 - page preview

The page preview button allows you to preview your current page that you are working on.  This is very important during the building process, to ensure that your changes are taking effect, and that you are getting the desired layout.  We suggest previewing often just to ensure perfection during your page creation process.

T4 - publish

Publishing the page does two things:

• You can make your changes and save your work, this allows you to always reset back to the last published page.  Think of this as an undo option as well. To UNDO, go to the top left hand corner of the application, under the word "undo" to revert to your LAST PUBLISHED page.
• Your web page is published to the Internet for all of your web site users to see [unless you have chosen to make a private].

Figure 1